Thursday, October 25, 2007

US view on corruption in Ukraine

A hefty report entitled 'Corruption, Democracy, and Investment in Ukraine' from the Washington-based Atlantic Council of the United States, has just been published. Read it here

A couple of quotes:

"Atlantic Council Task Force..found that across the political spectrum, Ukraine’s political elite agrees, with few exceptions, that corruption has become a threat to the country’s democratic future and economic prosperity.

Following the Orange Revolution, the Ukrainian government, as well as foreign governments and NGOs, began to address this issue through a range of legislative and administrative initiatives, including ratifying several international conventions against corruption, establishing governmental working groups, and cooperating with international advisory groups.

It is the judgment of the Task Force that the vast majority of these anti-corruption efforts have proven ineffective. Ukraine’s extended political stalemate, a corrupt judicial system, and a failure in political leadership on all sides have allowed a widespread “culture of corruption” in Ukraine to persist.

This has been exacerbated by a rise in international organized crime, which, paired with corruption in all branches of power, has the potential to make the Ukrainian government vulnerable to foreign political and economic influences, potentially endangering Ukraine’s national security."

"It is the conclusion of the Atlantic Council Task Force that nothing is more important to Ukraine’s long term economic and political health than combating corruption."